Cable channel AMC’s owner have announced a new publishing arm, simply named AMC Networks Publishing. Among the first projects announced by the company were an original graphic novel, and two comic book series:
featuring the creatives
on their new projects
– “Miss Fisher’s First Mysteries” (working title), a graphic novel based on the Australian TV series Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (in turn based on the novels by Kerry Greenwood.) A prequel set in 1917, written by Cecil Castelluci (“Shade the Changing Girl,” “Batgirl”), the book follows private detective Phryne Fisher when she was still a rebellious student at a posh English finishing school. “Outraged when her childhood friend is accused of murder, young Phryne stages a daring escape and braves the high seas as a stowaway – bound for danger and romance in the dark alleys, dubious theatres and glamorous mansions of wartime Melbourne.”
– “Nights of Lono” (working title), a comic book series written by Metallica’s lead guitarist Kirk Hammett (Too Much Horror Business), and author Marcel Feldmar (Keys To The Sun). Set in 1989, it tells the story of a troubled female detective from Hawaii, who is hired to find King Kamehameha’s tomb before a corrupt occultist from the mainland does. “A mix of mystery and supernatural adventure, the story is a self-aware journey through standard detective tropes and cliches that are sharpened and given new life with fresh takes on the myths and folklore of the Hawaiian Islands.”
– “Oubliette” (working title), the second comics series, penned by Brenden Fletcher (“Isola,” “Gotham Academy”). The book follows a woman who managed to leave her hometown, despite its one rule: “If you were born of the earth around the lake, then around the lake you shall stay until you return to the earth.” She returns after her father dies in mysterious circumstances, and learns a sinkhole drained the local lake. In the course of uncovering the truth, she discovers “something dark and wicked down there, in that hole in the lake. Something that’s been waiting a long, long time to come to the surface…”
No artists or release dates were given for the books, which will presumably be announced as they reach completion. You can find out more about AMC’s plans, which will involve creatives like Stephen King and Alex Maleev, and include new Walking Dead books, at the full press release here.
